Bansho Fan

The Bansho Fan

"Old Master Roshi has in his possession a very powerful fan made out of a palm-leaf called the Bansho Fan. It's the only thing that will extinguish Fire Mountain." — "The Ox King on Fire Mountain"

The Bansho fan (Bashō-sen) is a mystical fan designed to stoke and control the flames of the magical furnace.

Overview

The Bansho fan is thought to have been created from the feathers of the Hikui Bird, although this may be untrue as Master Roshi admits it to be a guess (in the original Japanese version, Roshi states that he was drunk when he wrote the book containing "instructions" to make the fan). The fan once belonged to Master Roshi until he threw it away. It has the power to control weather, and is described by Roshi as having the capability to "create a strong wind with a single wave, a cloud with two, and a downpour with three." The fan was last seen in the possession of Goku in the last few episodes of Dragon Ball, when he once again needed it to extinguish the flames on Fire Mountain.

Video game appearances

Chi-Chi with the Bansho Fan in Super Dragon Ball Z

The Bansho Fan appears in Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden and Dragon Ball Z: Super Gokuden: Totsugeki-Hen.

Adult Chi-Chi uses the Bansho Fan as a weapon in Super Dragon Ball Z, and Kid Chi-Chi uses it in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. The fan is called Banana Fan in Super Dragon Ball Z.

It is the Z-Fighter Exhibit #4 in Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury, with its description being: "A mystical fan capable of creating an extremely strong wind. The original Bansho Fan was owned by Master Roshi, but was lost. Goku and Chi-Chi made a new one." It is trophy No. 47 in Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure, and also a treasure that can be found in the first stage of Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo.

Trivia

• In "Dress in Flames", while in Octagon Village, Goku and Chi-Chi discover a giant rock with a map of how to make the fan. The instructions appear to be carved in the Namekian language, though it is a mystery what connection the Nameless Namek had with the Bansho fan.
• The Bansho Fan bears a great resemblance to a dansen uchiwa, a Japanese signalling fan also known as a gunbai or gunpai. This particular type of fan was made famous by Japanese warlord Takeda Shingen when he used his dansen uchiwa in a duel against Uesugi Kenshin during the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561.